I recall visiting Karen in the hospital after Blayne was born. He is the first child born to either of my sisters, and that made his birth truly special.

Anna is the niece born in November. Her birth, right at Thanksgiving, was welcomed by my parents on a brief furlough from Argentina. (That trip would be the last time any of us saw Mom, since she died not long after, in Argentina.) I visited Beth in the hospital the day after Thanksgiving, if I recall correctly.

And then Joseph came along fourteen years ago. I was in Muncie, Indiana at the time, as had to wait a few weeks to great the last of the nephews.

1995. JC with Karen’s kids, Blayne and Kristen, at the Ringling Bros. circus at Kemper Arena.With my nephews Luke and Joseph last summer (2009), waiting for the Amtrak home.2000. A very young Anna at my doctoral hooding ceremony.

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Youngest nephew Joseph is quite the teenage zoologist. My sister suggested I take him to the Kansas City Zoo at Swope Park on Wednesday last, so Joe and I waited out the rain and then spent two hours with sea lions and tigers and lorikeets and kangaroos and red pandas and Merino sheep and such. And a good time was had by all.

Orangutan child.Red panda.Joe pets a stingray.

Kangaroos!Laughing kookaburraThis one is just waiting for a lift from the train.Lorikeets.